Nick Gillette circles around the double-sided, four-shelf case holding bushel baskets of candy from back in the day at Heather 'n Holly in downtown Midland.

"Candy cigarettes are one of the more popular sellers," he says, as he scans rows and rows of retro candy. "We sell a lot of them. People see them and think they're funny and are surprised they are still a thing to buy."

He loads a partial bag of Tootsie Roll minis into a basket of Frooties, a fruit-flavored companion to the chocolate taffy.

"We go through a lot of Frooties," he said. "It's a Tootsie Roll but fruit-flavored."

Another popular is the basket stuffed with Zotz, available in apple, orange, cherry, apple, red raspberry and watermelon. They come in a line of four attached, crinkly wrapped candies.

"We sell a lot of Zotz," said the store's assistant manager. "It's fruity with a sour center."

And, then there are Necco candy wafers, which boasts "made since 1847," on its wrapper.

Rumor is, though, the wafers no longer will be available once current supplies run out, says Heather Gillette, store manager.

The store has sold a lot of the wafers, especially since news that the Necco factory was shuttered. Only a few handfuls of Necco wafers remain at the Midland store.

Old-fashioned candy, small in size and price and big in sentiment and reminiscences, is one of the best sellers at Heather 'n Holly, says Heather Gillette.

In addition to the baskets full of candy, there are boxes of fun stuff on top of the shelf, including boxes of wax lips, cinnamon toothpicks, BB Bats taffy on a stick and Slo Pokes.

The candy section, which is at the back of the store, is a popular attraction for children and their parents.

"I think it's the parents who think it's neat," she said, adding many a conversation is overheard.

"We hear them tell stories, 'I got these when I was your age.' It makes it fun on both ends."

The stuff that's hard to keep on the shelves includes the candy cigarettes, which Heather refers to as candy sticks, and the Nik-L-Nips small wax bottles filled with syrupy liquid and Fruit Stripe gum with tattoos inside.

Heather Gillette said Heather 'n Holly, located at 228 E. Main St., is celebrating its 15th anniversary and is "coming up with something fun." The business is owned by Heather's mother Pam Gallagher and was named for Heather and her sister, Holly.